Extending the experience

Synthesis of research, business culture and product goals ensures a UX team sits in the middle of a web development process. However the team can benefit by not being solely project focused…

User experience is heavily associated with brand experience and as technology becomes less visible and more pervasive, the two elements will converge into one. User experience adds substance to the brand experience – experience design defines the brand.

How we interact with interfaces will become more important – the profitability of companies defined by how usable their product is compared to their competitors.UX can help so much more than just producing wireframes. More than the bit between client liaison and project management. IAs can help define strategy because they gain the holistic view of a design problem before they design a solution. In doing so, they gain the business intelligence (BI) that can be used elsewhere.The knowledge that is gained is especially useful for other parts of a project. For discussing future work for example, monitoring impediments, analysing work flow and cultural issues. The BI in IA is invaluable and should be shared. How you do this is primarily down to conversation and simple communication…

Draw itCreate diagrams, sketches, cartoons or images to convey the message, make it real and easily communicated. Making this memorable is a great trick. A picture lasts longer in the mind than words or documents ever do. See David Armano’s great diagrams here for an example of how to communicate potentially complex ideas.

Share itNever be afraid to share the message. Its better that an idea is challenged and discussed than die on a note pad or white board. Remember a lack of physicality inhibits communication (even in these times of Blackberries and Facebook), seeing somebody face to face is the best method of getting a point across.

Show it Show some real world examples of what you are trying to describe. Its more than likely that the idea, or insight, have been seen elsewhere in another context. Breathe some life into the sketch that you dreamt up.

Tout itGet buy in from those who you trust and respect. They will soon become a champion for the cause if they ‘get’ the idea that you conveyed.

Having UX representation on a project ensures a customer focused approach to any development work. They also provide a different perspective to building solutions.But regardless of the projects worked on, UX will enhance the design offering and ensure that the communication between disciplines is transparent and effective. Communication between people is still a major factor between success and failure of not just a project, but also a business’ culture.